What health risks do you have to eat raw foods?

Tartare, sashimi, carpaccio or ceviche are dishes that have recently been introduced into our diet. Yes, eating raw foods is a trend, partly as a rejection of processed foods. Although it is a better option to eat natural and fresh, we must take into account the amount of risks to which we expose ourselves.

By all it is well known that to minimize the risks it is better to freeze the fish previously or to have a correct handling with the meat. The dangers can range from a digestive problem to a serious infection.

How to reduce risks in raw foods?

The problem often is not that the food is in poor condition, but that it is poorly maintained or manipulated. When we cook them, we are making sure that microorganisms are diminished. It is also true that pregnant women, children and the elderly are more vulnerable to food infections, so they must take extreme care.

Take note of the following tips to reduce the risk of problems from raw foods:

Eggs

Eating raw eggs implies that extreme hygiene measures must be taken to prevent salmonella from breaking through the cuticle of the egg. In this article we tell you how you should keep eggs to reduce the risk of cuticle splitting.
It is only advisable to wash them just before consumption. The ideal is that you consume pasteurized egg, like the egg whites sold in supermarkets, and take special care when making homemade mayonnaise.

Fruits and vegetables

We also dedicate a post to learn how to properly wash your vegetables. Even so, the Spanish Agency of Consumption, Food Safety and Nutrition advises to wash them under the tap and dry them with kitchen paper, even when we are going to peel them.
If you are going to take the fruit with your skin or fresh and raw vegetables, it is best to put it in water for 5 minutes.

Meat

Although the meat is sterile inside, on the surface can house microorganisms such as salmonella, listeria or e. coli during his manipulation.
When carpaccio or tartare is made, you must make sure that transportation, conservation and processing are correct.

Fish

Fish is one of the most watched foods when it is eaten raw. Anisakis is the most famous danger we face, even if we take anchovies in vinegar.
When cooked, any microorganism disappears; even so, there are people who prefer to freeze the fish at -20ºC and take care not to leave it out of the fridge for more than an hour.